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A medical practitioner, Dr Lanre Olosunde, has urged the three tiers of government to institute social security policy that would alleviate the hardship facing Nigerians.
Olosunde, the Senior Registrar, National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the Family Medicine Department, Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, made the call on Tuesday.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja that government policies and programmes should promote the welfare of people who mostly depend on salaries.
“It is important that governments do their best to make sure that people’s welfare becomes a priority in their agenda, policies and decision making to make life better for the citizenry.
“There should be social welfare packages as it is being done in advanced countries which is called social security for people, especially the less privileged, to care for themselves.
“The primary purpose of government is the welfare of the citizens and it should be ready to deal with more and frequent cases of suicide in Nigeria,” he said.
Olosunde described suicide as a desperate attempt to escape suffering that has become unbearable.
He said that most people who committed suicide usually suffered from “underlying mental illnesses, especially severe depression, which account for 10 to 15 per cent chances of causing people to commit suicide’’.
According to him, a suicidal person cannot see any other way of finding relief, except through death.
“Blaming them for committing suicide may not be the most ideal, but we should rather seek measures to prevent them from committing suicide.
“Different forms of suicide are: complete suicide, suicide gamble and suicide gesture- someone that just want to seek attention.
“Anybody can actually be at risk of committing suicide,” he said.
Olosunde said that some cultures also encouraged suicide.
“Some of our cultures, both written and unwritten, actually encourage some of these suicide.
“Research has shown that the number of suicide attempts is higher in females than males; but the number of complete suicide is higher in males than females.
“When males want to commit suicide, they actually go for it and make sure they do it that is why most of the suicides presently recorded in Nigeria were done by males.
He listed suicide risk factors as genetic, physical ailments or impairment, terminal disease, painful life experiences, bad economy, loss of job or loved ones, nonpayment of salaries, internet, availability of fire arms, among others.
Olosunde maintained that the primary way to prevent suicide was to reduce the risk factors that predispose people to suicide, while secondary was to prevent people already exhibiting some of these risk factors from committing suicide.
“There is always a root cause of every ailment including the mental illness; even an ailment where people will be hearing voices, like compulsive disorder, is medically treatable.
“People should have high index of suspicion, especially for people that already have all the underlying factors.
“It is better to over suspect than to assume, because most time people that commit suicide may have been stylishly saying it to those that are closer to them.
“We must seek professional help as soon as possible for anybody that is undergoing depression immediately it is noticed. Let us look out after our people and be our brothers’ keepers.
“It is also very important that the media and the internet also help in creating more awareness too, in terms of educating the public with the correct information.
“Also, the traditional rulers and spiritual leaders who are the opinion leaders can also be instrumental to joining voices to give hope to the people.
“People must see that there is a future for them and there is a reason to live. We must join hands together to reduce the recurrence of suicide in our society,” Olosunde said.
(NAN)
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